The Bitter Price of Infinity
by Sandylee007
Summary: MAJOR INFINITY WAR SPOILERS.       Five small scenes of what went through the characters' minds when it was all over. Plus one possible deleted scene.              CHARACTER DEATHS                ONESHOT


A/N: SO. I watched 'Infinity War' yesterday. And I knew IMMEDIATELY that I'd HAVE TO type a fic about it. Because the events of the movie… They shattered my heart! And I'm DREADING just what's ahead in part two, because there's so much we don't know yet…! (whimpers and gulps)

DISCLAIMER: ME… OWN… NOTHING. Well, except for a few DVDs and some figurines. If I DID own anything, we'd know by now what happened to the Barton-family in the fallout…!

WARNINGS: MASSIVE 'INFINITY WAR' SPOILERS – unless you're a spoiler-junkie like me, don't read until you've seen the movie! Death. Language. Mentions of injuries. You know, all the happy stuff…

Awkay… Before I chicken out, LET'S GO! I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy the ride. Although it's gonna be pretty sad…!

* * *

 ** _The Bitter Price of Infinity_**

* * *

Loki – The Final Magic Trick

* * *

The only thing that made sense to Thor was the snapping sound. It bombarded his head in a merciless echo, over and over again. And then Loki was tossed right in front of him in a graceless heap.

It was over.

"No more resurrections", echoed nearly as painfully as the sound of his brother's neck breaking like a twig.

 _NO…!_

Thor stared, no matter how badly he would've wanted to look away. Hoped, begged, prayed, with every cell in his body. Waited.

Just one more infuriating magic trick, just one more miracle…!

No longer restrained, Thor found himself on his knees. Almost immediately he was moving, crawling towards Loki. His large hand, used to handling massive amounts of power, searched desperately for even the faintest hint of hope. Anything. There was no breath. No heartbeat. Loki's eyes stared ahead sightlessly, eternal pain etched into them.

They'd never see the sun again.

Thor wanted to crumble. Scream, cry. But he was too numb for any of that. The merciless blow of grief was more than he could bear.

Loki wasn't going to cheat death this time, was he? The Trickster played his last, desperate hand. Tried to be a hero in his final moments. And the last thing he ever heard from Thor was that he was terrible brother. That slowly dawning realization weighed heavily on Thor's heart.

 _I'm sorry, Loki…! I'm so sorry…!_

Everyone was gone. There was nothing left to lose. And Thor had never felt quite so alone in the world, not even when he was banished from Asgard.

* * *

Gamora – The Tears of a Monster

* * *

It was almost funny, in its own bitter way.

Gamora had spent most of her life hating the man who raised her longer than her parents did. He was a monster. She imagined him to be soulless. Only to understand now, in the final moments of her life, that she hadn't been entirely correct.

She was the one and only thing he'd ever loved – and now it was about to cost her her life.

Gamora wasn't afraid of death. Hadn't been since she was a child, because most of her life there hadn't been anything she wanted to live for. But… She wasn't quite ready to go. Not yet. Not when her death would give Thanos one more tool to destroy half of the universe. Not when there were finally so many things in her life worth carrying on for.

Her team. Their quest. Peter.

The thought of never seeing Peter against shattered her heart, brought tears to her eyes. He loved her enough to try and kill her, trusted her even when it shattered his heart. Now, moments away from her end… She wanted just one more dance with him, just one more kiss. Wasn't that what everyone always wanted? Just one more…

But the massive hand she once grabbed as a little girl, full of child's trust, now dragged her towards the edge with a brutal amount of force. She fought back with all her might but it was no use against him. Thanos didn't spare her a single glance. 'LOOK AT ME!' she thought she screamed. Perhaps she did. 'THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU KILL ME!'

Their eyes did meet, one last time. Just as she floated into the emptiness. Right before eternal darkness swallowed her. The last thing she saw was the tears shining in Thanos' eyes. The sight, which she sealed into her mind as she closed her eyes, was her only comfort.

Because she knew that however much she might be hurting, this was infinitely worse on him. Cost him more. He hadn't realized the true, bitter price of the Soul Stone yet, had he? But he would, eventually. And it was a cost that'd make any possible future victory meaningless.

The soul Thanos bought the stone with wasn't hers – it was his.

* * *

/ _"Did you do it?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"What did it cost?"_

 _"Everything."_

 _"Was it worth it?"_ /

* * *

Wanda and Vision – All I Feel is You

* * *

It hurt more than anything else ever had. More than losing her parents. Somehow, impossibly, even more than losing Pietro.

No matter how many times Vision whispered that it was alright, of course it wasn't. It wasn't alright that she had to kill the one she loved more than anything else in the whole world. It wasn't alright that his life had to be the sacrifice for any sort of a victory.

She felt him die, just as vividly as she felt her brother's passing. It killed a piece of her, too. Then Thanos brought him back, only to slaughter him mercilessly.

The second time he didn't go smiling and whispering softly. He left screaming from pain. And all there was left of him was an empty, grey shell. Along with a once vivid, now dull pair of eyes that'd never see anything again.

Soon the battle was over. After that death came quietly. Like a thief.

Wanda felt it coming long before she began to fall apart. Death didn't scare her. There was no pain. All she felt in her final moments was Vision.

His lips on hers. His hand holding hers. His body pressed against hers.

What point was there in being afraid of dying when she had so many people waiting for her on the other side?

Wanda crumbled to dust with something like a smile on her face, and what remained of her brushed Vision's body as gently as her hand once did.

* * *

Peter (Parker) – Not Ready

* * *

It was the most terrifying battle Peter had ever faced. In space, against a creature that'd destroyed half of several planets. It didn't make any sense. And he definitely shouldn't have had any part in it. Yet there he was, fighting on even as a moon exploded.

He _definitely_ should've stayed in the bus.

There were several moments when Peter was absolutely certain that he'd die. Starting from when he couldn't breathe in space. And yet, when his spider senses tingled a warning that death was coming… It caught him by surprise.

The complete, utter terror that overcame him when he realized that it was all over… That this time there'd be no miracles, that he wouldn't be able to stop it… It shook him right down to his core. In his final moments he clung to Tony with the sheer power of despair. Because he was only a teenager. He wasn't ready to _go_ yet.

Ned… Aunt May… Tony… In those last, desperate moments of utter panic his jumbled thoughts were with them. "I'm sorry…!" _I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, Tony. I'm sorry I messed up. I'm sorry I can't be brave anymore. I'm sorry you have to see this. Aunt May, I'm sorry…!_

One more thud of a painfully young heart, and all that remained of him was dust.

* * *

They lost. And somehow, foolishly, Tony imagined that it couldn't get any worse than that. Until his comrades began to vaporize right before his eyes. Then Peter stumbled into his arms, pleading and apologizing, absolutely terrified.

Tony stared with wide, horrified and tear-filled eyes how the most innocent and courageous person he'd ever met fell apart in his arms. The kid was always too damned brave for his own good. And definitely far too young, for any of this. And now, no matter how desperately Tony tried to hold on to the teenager… Now Peter was just… gone.

Before Tony got the chance to tell Peter how proud he was of him. Before he got to see the kid graduate. Before Tony managed to figure out if he should tell Peter that…

What point was there in thinking about any of that now?

It was over. And as Tony stared at what little there was left of Peter… He experienced more vividly than ever before what losing felt like.

The billionaire had no idea of the tears running down his cheeks, the droplets mixing with the remnants of ashes in his trembling hands.

* * *

Plus One

* * *

It's incredibly difficult, practically impossible, to sneak up with ill intent into the house of a seasoned agent and assassin. But sometimes, just sometimes, death comes so stealthily that there's no hope of seeing it coming. Sometimes no weapon in this world is enough to stop it, to keep it from stealing its target.

Sun was shining and a pleasant, warm breeze caressed Clint while he narrowed a pair of critical eyes. "Lift the bow a little higher… Yeah, that should do. Now…"

"MOMMY!"

Lila's terrified scream made the father and son shudder. Cooper released the arrow by accident. Neither cared much where it landed. Because something was horribly wrong.

"Coop, get inside. Keep an eye on Nate", Clint commanded, already on his way. Fully ready to fight anything or anyone it was threatening his family.

Only, when he reached the scene there was no enemy. Lila was on her knees, crying inconsolably. "Mommy… Mommy disappeared", the child whimpered in a heartbreaking voice he never wanted to hear again. "She… She gasped, and then she was gone. Daddy, where is she? What happened?"

Clint's heart hammered while his eyes darted around. In full honesty, he had no idea what was going on. Did someone kidnap Laura? What…?

Then every single thought vanished when he realized that his daughter was disappearing, too. Turning to ashes right before his very eyes. Lila's eyes widened even further, filled with fresh tears. "Daddy…!" It was the last thing he ever heard her say.

Despair chasing him, Clint lunged forward, willing to do anything it might take to keep him from losing his child, too. But Lila fell apart, faded away, just as his fingers brushed her. Lila and Laura… They were gone. Gone, go, _gone_. Stolen away by some invisible force.

Clint stared. He didn't even notice himself falling down on his knees. It was impossible to think past the sheer agony ravishing all of him. Wind carried what was left of his girls past him. That was when the pain exploded, exactly as his heart cracked to a million tiny, sharp pieces. Tears followed soon after but he hardly noticed. Because he was forced to realize that this was all really happening. That no matter how hard he tried to grab the ashes, Lila and Laura were gone. And he did the only thing he could.

He screamed, howled, from the bottom of his heart and soul.

* * *

Doctor Strange – The Only Way

* * *

Stephen sought through every possible outcome. He navigated through all options, desperately seeking hope. Only to find just one alternative. It wasn't the kind of a path he wanted to take, but there was no other choice.

Sometimes in order to win, one must play on the losing side, at least for a moment.

Stephen had seen enough to know that there was no hope left for him anymore. But the universe, Earth… The spark still lived on, like a flare in the darkest night. The good guys would eventually win, but it'd be with a heavy cost.

So, when Stephen felt his own end approaching… He looked at Tony with apology in his eyes. "This is the only way."

Stephen wasn't the praying kind. But as he fell apart he sent out a prayer that his insane plan would work. That there'd eventually be a brighter tomorrow, even if he wouldn't be there to see it.

* * *

End

* * *

A/N: Ooooh dang… So, yeah. That was pretty sad. (whimpers) For the record… In that scene with Thanos 'meeting' little-Gamora again, I wish she would've asked him 'Was it worth it?', and him being unable to answer. So… (smirks) AND, I moved the part with Strange to the very end, because I wanted to close this fic with a tiny bit of hope. (I definitely think that Strange set some sort of a bigger plan into motion before handing out the stone, because it CAN'T all end like it did in the first part…!)

Soooo… How was that? Any good? PLEASE, do leave a word or two to the box below to let me know!

And in the off change that some of you reading this haven't watched the movie yet… GO AND SEE IT! Just… Brace yourselves for IMMENSE heartbreak…!

THANK YOU, so much, for reading! Who knows. Maybe I'll see you again one.

Take care!


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